Quaker Values
There is that of God in everyone
This was George Fox’s fundamental insight from which everything else derives. It meant to him that was no need for a priest to mediate between you and God. You should listen to this within you, act upon it, and share what you hear. Early Quakers were driven by this insight, and proclaimed it widely. To them this was a return to the ideals of early Christianity.
This profound insight is fundamental to Quakerism still, though it is often expressed differently. ‘God’ is a difficult word for many, and expressions such as the light within everyone, the force for good within everyone, are often used.
Let your life speak
Early Quakers saw that this insight should permeate their lives. The way they lived should bear witness to it. They tried very hard to live up to this ideal and suffered very much for it. As they tried to live in this way, they developed some profound guiding principles, which became known as testimonies, which inspire Quakers still. The peace testimony is the most well known of these.
